Major Lasers — Navy implementing laser tech on boats?

The U.S. Navy has made an announcement that they have successfully begun testing the use of laser weapons on ships. That’s right, lasers. The technology, known as LaWS (ha, nautical pun) was used to destroy numerous targets in the Persian Gulf. It uses six different mounted lasers that come together at the same point to create a beam of energy, which is controlled by an Xbox-like controller.

So, basically, the Navy is playing Xbox, only it is with real lasers, that can destroy real targets … and your mom tried to tell you video games would never help you out in real life.

The Navy has spent around $40 million over the last seven years developing the technology, which has shown to be effective at ranges of up to a mile. So, what does this mean for us in Jax Beach, a naval hotbed?

If you ask me, it had better mean some Dr. Evil-esque sharks. You know what I am talking about. Sharks with frickin laser beams on their frickin heads.

Is that so much to ask for? No one would want to mess with the United States of America’s Laser Shark Task Force. Right? I mean the technology is called LaWS, this HAD to be their next logical step in how to use it.

Regardless of how the Navy chooses to use this new technology, which costs about 59 cents per shot as opposed to the $1 million conventional missiles use, it is pretty cool that we are taking the next step into using energy to our advantage. Following these tests, the Navy hopes to have the technology on ships beginning in the early 2020s.

And even if they don’t decide to use them on ships, Jacksonville is definitely due for a Zeppelin-style laser show.

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